1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the integration of personal computers with television using wireless local signal transmissions.
2. Description of Related Art
For years, the television has been the center of entertainment in the average American household. Over these years, televisions have continually improved by providing among other things better picture quality, better sound and larger screens. However, even with all the advances in television technology, televisions remained only as a source to display the programs broadcast by the networks.
The advent of personal computers provided many households with a new addition to their entertainment system. However, in addition to entertaining, many people have found the personal computer to be a productive addition to the house. The computer can be used for a wide variety of activities ranging from playing games to paying bills.
In recent years, many households have sought to combine the entertainment of a television with the flexibility of a computer. By combining the two systems, they are able to enhance the television viewing experience. A computer-television combination makes it possible to create a xe2x80x9csmarterxe2x80x9d television that allows not only static viewing, but the ability to interact and control the programming.
Current integration of personal computers with television is performed through wired technology. An antenna or a video source is directly connected to the computer through a cable. The computer overlays graphical user interfaces and then distributes the integrated video to the television through another cable connection.
In a typical house, the living room includes a cable or antenna connection for the television, and an office or a bedroom includes the personal computer. The computer is usually connected to a phone line by a modem to access the Internet or other on-line services. In the past, if a user wanted to integrate their computer and television, either the computer had to be moved to the living room or the television had to be moved to the office or to the bedroom. Unfortunately, neither of these options are desirable. Most families want their television to remain in the living room, usually a larger room and the evening gathering place for family entertainment. Also, these families did not want to move a desk with the computer into the living room for both aesthetic and practical reasons, because additional wiring usually has to be installed for use with the computer. For example, if the computer is moved to the living room, an additional phone jack must be installed to connect the modem. Similarly, if the television is moved to the den, an additional antenna or cable connection must be installed. What is needed is a device that allows users to integrate computers and televisions while allowing the computer and the television to be located in separate rooms of the house thereby minimizing the need to co-locate items or to install additional wiring.
The present invention creates a two-way wireless connection between a personal computer and a video source. The wireless connection allows the computer to be located in a different room than the video source and the television. Television signals are sent to the computer via the wireless connection so that the television signals can be integrated with computer data. The computer includes software applications and can include a modem. With the present invention, the modem can be located in one room and used by a user in a different room to browse the Internet or to access other on-line services. After the computer processes the data, the results are sent via the wireless connection back to the television to be displayed to the user.
One aspect of the present invention is a method of establishing a wireless connection between a video device and a computer. The method comprises the steps of receiving a television signal at a first location and upconverting the television signal. The upconverted signal is then transmitted from the first location and is received at a second location. The upconverted signal is downconverted at the second location and the downconverted signal is processed by the computer to produce digital video data. The digital video data is converted into analog composite video, which is then upconverted and transmitted from the second location back to the first location. The upconverted analog composite video is received at the first location, where the upconverted analog composite video is downconverted and input into a video device.
Another aspect of the present invention is a wireless connection between a television and a computer. The wireless connection comprises a first transmitter which receives a television signal and broadcasts the television signal over a first channel. A first receiver receives and downconverts the television signal for use by the computer. A video processor in communication with the computer converts the television signal into digital video data. A video encoder receives the digital video data from the video processor and converts the digital video data into an analog composite video. A second transmitter receives the analog composite video from the video encoder and broadcasts the analog composite video over a second channel, where a second receiver receives and downconverts the analog composite video for use by the television.